New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-10
10 SELL COLONEL HOES LIBRARY.
AFrNE COLLECTION ON PRINTING.
THE SALE TO BEGIN on MAY 23-soNE OF THE

THE SALE TO BEGIN on MAY 23-soNE or THE
PROMINENT WORKS.
! There is little hope now that Richard NJ. Hoes idea
of creating a memorial TO himself by collection OF
works the art of printing will be carried ont, for
Bangs g. Co. yesterday issued catalogues OF Them
and on May % and the following days the books
which he collected will he scattered at an auction
sale This is all the more regretabe because, while
the collection would have formed valuable NUCLEUS
for q Hoe Library-an appropriate title considering
how closely the is connected with modern dcvel-
urmcns in printing-verJ ttle can be realized by It's
sale piec-meal.
The collection embraces FEW works that will attract
the mere book collector. original specimens OF
e9ry printing or unique binding and not more than
hair dozen works that distinguished for their
rarity As n ruie it would have useful TO the
student and historian who love to split hairs about
the early inventors of printing and lis various stages
of development; q reference library where he could
have found the pleadinys and arguments on roth
sides But even tor this purpose its utility would not
simply have been bounded by the number OF works
contained in the collection; for many OF them are
mere TRANSACTIONS or SUMMARIZES or treatises upon
works pdblishcd some years before and OF inintesl
NAL value far the ircts Of history are coneerneu
l.. c. Biemorc, who some time ago published
dictionary of booEs relative to printing, is credited
with having made the selection, but curs0ry glance
over the catalogue gives the impression that every
thing pertaining tho art that came along was pur-
chased, without any Intelligent thought as to
whether the particular point work touched upon
had not been completely covered by some preceding
purchase In fact, il is the collection OF bookseller
aud not OF n student and thoughtful collector.
1t embraces l,433 lots IN the catalogue, all OF
which, ii must be remembered, have been bought in
London in the space OF tour or five years Most OF
them are Ia German English, and tho rest in
Italian or French. Bodonfs Manuaie Iipografeo
published in Parma in SlS IL an interesting book for
the student il shows the different Greek. RUSS ian,
Oriental and other early types used in printing.
Of i ~ any rnrc There Wa sale IN
London OF Bodoni collection but short tune ago,
aud many OF the examples offered were sold Tor few
shillings apiece. or similar class is Casons
Specimen OF Printing Types" London 1855, and there
are many such looks OF particular nterest to the type
founder. Cason, by the way was the first to intro
duce the Dutch character in English fancy types.
The ir is still one OF the leading type founderS III
London
: OF books and pan phlets treating specially on the
much discussed question OF tho origin CT printing
there Is no end There is the hrOnice OF Cologne
which gives the laurel to Mcntz and Gutenberg. and
the " Batavia" OF Uadrian Junus batavia 1883
which gives the Roster legend; aad IRON these on
through a long series of dissertations letters and
replies by many writers in several tongues. until We
get down to "A Collection OF Facts ana Opinions
upon the art by the greatest printer OF our own
timc-Theodorc l.. DE Winnie. In the preface to the
catalogue it SAYS in regard to these documents
referring 70 the long discussion: While many OF
these are OF small extent and OF seemingly duoious
practical value 49, debating exploded theory, yet
many OF them contain discussions OF minute partc-
uars OF interest TO the student which IL would be
difficult to ind else where"
Outside OF these there are gOOuly nuinoeF VI
books that will find ready sale specimens OF early
workmanship and illustrations. Chatto and Jacksons
- Treatise on Wood Engraving" London 1882, is one
OF these 1t contains over 1000 en- cravings. wood,
cnts ETC. some OF which Among the wood
cngravers arc fine impressions by Cranach. trse
Graf Baldung. Jost Ammon, Christopher Jeghcr,
and Albrecht Durer Also etchngs by the latter,
two OF them on iron Hotrop's Monuments Typo
craphidues des Pays-Bas au Qunzeme Steele" ia
Have fs6Sj is an important work OF which only 200
copes were printed giving smiles early speci
mems found in the Royal Library OF the Hague and
elsewhere Another interesting work - the Col:
lectio Weigeliana leipzig, 1860 which is standard
authority on the history OF printing before movable
types were used. Sothcby's Prpcipia Typograph-
icaD london, 1888 shows specimens OF tho block
books OF Scripture history issued In Holland. France
aud Ciermans, aud the significance OF water-marKs
il attempted TO be elncidatcd. ~
There is In the collection q book on " The Litera-
ture OF Printing BY Colonel Hoe himself which was
made from the excellent library the firm now has at
its factory in Graud-st This privately printed
at the Chiswick Press, London, in 1877, several
years before the author possessed any OF the books IN
The present collection Colonel Hoe had also good
miscellaneous library OF some 600 to 700 volumes,
which IA also comprised In the catalogue OF books TO
be sold Many OF these scientific works aud quite
goodiy number on farm architecture, stock raising
horses and 40 on Sta idard works OF French au thors
and fine editions of American noyelists and poets are
ha nd